Cheap seats will stay cheap for Saints fans, but others ...

A rendering shows a view of the St. Paul Saints' 7,000-seat ballpark in Lowertown. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Saints)

When the new regional ballpark is finished in St. Paul's Lowertown, about 2,800 ticket buyers will pay the same price or less than they paid to attend St. Paul Saints games at Midway Stadium.

Hervey Evans is not one of them.

As a diehard season-ticket holder, he's committed to sitting behind home plate, and he plans to continue to do so -- at triple the cost he's accustomed to paying.

Season tickets at the Saints' future ballpark in downtown St. Paul are up for sale to current season ticket-holders, but prices are structured far differently than season tickets at creaky Midway Stadium on Energy Park Drive. In some cases, prices are a lot higher.

Some Saints fans are crying foul. But team management contends that Midway never offered the kind of high-end seating arrangements that the new $63 million, 7,000-seat ballpark will have, so there's no comparing the two. For everyday fans, 40 percent of seating at the new ballpark will be priced the same or lower than it was at Midway.

"The real difficulty in the situation, however, has to do with a fairly confined group of folks," said Evans, a magazine publisher. "There are about 200 seats that are in the area below the walkway, and that area has been reassigned in the new ballpark to be premium seating, and that's taken it out of the financial reach of (many) of us."

Longtime Saints fan and ballpark critic Peter Boehm paid $1,580 for four season tickets behind home plate this year.

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"In 2015 in Lowertown, four tickets in the front row will cost $4,900, or more than three times as much," Boehm said. "So much for affordable family fun. So much for taking care of the people who have supported them for 22 years."

In a recent interview, Saints Vice President Tom Whaley said the team is staying true to promises to keep much of its seating in the same price range as the seating at Midway. In some cases, it will be less expensive.

"This year at Midway, our tickets are going to be in the range of $6 to $22," Whaley said. "At the new place, they'll be in the range of $5 to $28. ... Forty percent of the seats in the new place will be priced at or lower than what Midway is currently priced at."

The goal is to capture the same fan base that has embraced the Saints as a lower-cost alternative to pricier Minnesota Twins games.

"I was pleased early on when they said they were going to try to keep the same crowd," said St. Paul City Council member Dave Thune, who represents the downtown area. "In general, they wanted the beer and the hot dogs and the seats to be marketable to the same people who have supported them all along."

In addition, the team has promised a more comfortable viewing experience. Built in 1982, Midway Stadium offers room for about 6,000 fans on aluminum bleacher-style seating. The Lowertown ballpark, by contrast, will mostly offer individual, fold-up seats, as well as specialty seating for the disabled.

PRICING TIERS

The new seating options have created new pricing tiers. Existing season-ticket holders get first crack at the tickets, and they're finding options they didn't have before -- and new costs, too.

For example, a full season at club level -- a glass-enclosed indoor space -- will cost $3,500 at the new ballpark. The club service includes complementary food and beverage services.

"We've never had it in 22 years," Whaley said. "It's a departure, in that it's new. ... That's a new animal for us. We only have 260 of those seats. There's not a ton of club seats."

Seating in the boxes close to home plate will cost fans $1,225 a season -- and that includes wider, cushioned seats and section wait staff. Reserved seats by home plate are $765 for the season.

Evans, who has a background in business consulting, is hoping for an "accommodation for some of these core fans. ... The reality of it is, it's a new ballpark. It's got new services. It's got new features. ... The business part of it is a little tricky."

Whaley said season tickets at Midway in the main grandstand are $550 this year. The best comparison in the new ballpark, an infield or outfield reserved seat, will be $680 and $595, respectively, he said.

Infield tickets are $360 for the half-season and outfield is $315 for the half. There's also bleacher seating and berm-level seating.

UPGRADE PERKS

At the new Saints ballpark, season-ticket holders will be able to access at least 10 benefits that typical fans cannot. There are opportunities for seat relocations and upgrades, as well as the chance to participate in games such as "Pick-a-Saint." The game pits season-ticket holders against each other by allowing them to pick players. If that player gets a hit, the fan collects points that are good for prizes at the end of the season.

Season-ticket holders can participate in an exchange program and sell tickets back for resale. They will receive complimentary preseason tickets, and they're invited to the "meet the team" picnic. Full-season ticket holders are guaranteed the same seat from season to season. "You have a specific seat that is yours for all the games," Whaley said.

Evans said the higher prices behind home plate will not suit everyone, but he's willing to go there.

"I'm paying three times per seat what I was paying," Evans said. "And I've agreed to do that. ... My logic is, those seats are more marketable, so if I'm not at a game, I'm going to be able to resell them. Unfortunately, it pulls me away from some of my friends. But it makes for a better gift."